Trio of Prestigious Academic and Athletic Institutions Set to Join the Atlantic Coast Conference
9/1/2023 10:37:00 AM | General
The ACC announced on Friday that Stanford, Cal and SMU will join the league beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Following a vote by the Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors, the league announced on Friday that Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley and Southern Methodist University will join the conference beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.
Statements from Wake Forest University Leadership:
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 71st year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 28 NCAA sports – 15 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. In August 2019, ESPN and the ACC partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports and league-wide original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @accsports on Instagram and @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).
About the Stanford University
Stanford University, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a place of discovery, creativity, and innovation that is recognized internationally for excellence in teaching, research, and medical care. Stanford's campus is home to seven schools, a distinguished faculty that includes 20 living Nobel laureates, and more than 7,700 undergraduates and 9,500 graduate students. Stanford's Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation leads the nation with 134 NCAA team championships, has won the Women's Capital One Cup four of the last six years, and has achieved the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup for 26 of the 29 possible seasons. Nearly 900 Cardinal student-athletes compete as members of 36 intercollegiate athletics teams.
About the University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley, is consistently rated the world's top public university. The flagship of the 10-campus University of California system, it was chartered in 1868 with a mission to excel in teaching, research and public service. Enrolling more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the campus has more than 1,500 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members in more than 130 academic departments that offer more than 350 degree programs. The faculty's outstanding research achievements and scholarship so far have led to 26 Nobel Prizes, and an additional 35 Nobel Prizes have been won by alumni.
Cal Athletics is a broad-based NCAA Division I athletic department that sponsors 30 varsity sports and includes over 900 student-athletes. The department has approximately 300 staff members. Cal Athletics has produced 103 team national championships and 223 Olympic medals. Notable alums include Aaron Rodgers, Jason Kidd, Natalie Coughlin, Marshawn Lynch, Jaylen Brown, Layshia Clarendon and more.
About the Southern Methodist University
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU's alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.
In the classroom and on the field, SMU Athletics is driving excellence and growth to be among the best athletics programs in the country. SMU brings the highest level of collegiate competition to Dallas, which was recently named the No. 1 city for sports business by the Sports Business Journal, and continues to build on recent success, with all 17 programs reaching the postseason and 15 programs winning conference championships since 2013. SMU is the only NCAA FBS program in Dallas, and has claimed nine overall national championships, almost 200 team conference championships, over 100 individual national championships, more than 150 NCAA top-10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and over 150 Olympic appearances. Since 2013, SMU has invested over $250 million to develop and enhance championship-caliber facilities.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and Power 5 athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 56 conference titles and are one of only seven ACC schools to win 10 or more national championships, along with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Florida State. Additionally, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad market, which includes 1.3M residents and was ranked as ESPN's seventh-best market from a viewership perspective.
Wake Forest has been the fastest growing and hottest brand in the Power 5 (and the ACC) since Aug, 1, 2019, with a 115 percent growth in our fanbase during this span. There are 2.7 million people identifying as Wake Forest fans, which ranks ninth in the league and ahead of Virginia Tech and just trailing NC State.
Academically, Wake Forest University is ranked in the Top 30 nationally by US News and World Report for the past 27 years (and counting) and ranked 21st nationally in Undergraduate Teaching according to the 2022-23 US News and World Report. Wake Forest's comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded college and graduate school of arts and sciences, school of medicine, business school, law school, divinity school and an innovative new school of professional studies. Additionally, Wake Forest holds campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Washington, DC – providing academic opportunity across the southeast.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
Statements from Wake Forest University Leadership:
- President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.
- "On behalf of Wake Forest University, I am excited to welcome Stanford, Cal and SMU to the Atlantic Coast Conference. These world-class institutions will strengthen the ACC's academic and research network, in addition to providing new and exciting competitive opportunities for our student-athletes. I am looking forward to welcoming their respective University communities to our conference and hosting them in Winston-Salem in the years to come. I am grateful to ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips and to ACC Board of Directors Chair James Ryan, President of University of Virginia, for their leadership."
- Chair of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees, Matt King
- "We are grateful for the leadership of President Susan R. Wente, Athletics Director John Currie, and our colleagues across the ACC for their careful evaluation and management of this expansion opportunity. Expansion will allow us to further connect and deepen relationships for Wake Forest with these three prestigious institutions, academically and athletically. We look forward to a bright future together in a strong and vibrant ACC."
- Director of Athletics John Currie
- "This is a great day for our student-athletes, the ACC, Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, and the state of North Carolina. Wake Forest has the fastest growing brand of the college athletics Power conferences and the addition of these tremendous and highly competitive athletic and academic universities further enhances the national exposure for our student-athletes and University. Having known and worked with Cal AD Jim Knowlton, Stanford AD Bernard Muir, and SMU AD Rick Hart for more than a decade, I look forward to further expanding our relationships with these universities who share our commitment to academic success and student-athlete excellence.
"Demon Deacons student-athletes hail from 38 states and 24 countries and already compete - and win - nationally, including our 2023 women's golf NCAA title, the 10th team national championship in Wake Forest history. We will work closely with the ACC to ensure that the incorporation of conference competition trips to the West Coast and Dallas will be incorporated with care, to both minimize the impact of any net additional travel and maximize the opportunity this presents for our student-athletes, families and fans.
"Linking the state of North Carolina – the fastest growing state in America for business according to CNBC – with Silicon Valley and the Dallas Metroplex adds tremendous value for our alumni, recruiting efforts, and the growing ACC Network. And, this expansion further cements North Carolina, with its long term commitment to the ACC's new headquarters in Charlotte, as a national epicenter of college sports at the highest level.
"President Susan R. Wente continues to be a tireless advocate for Wake Forest and the ACC as a leader on the ACC Board of Directors Executive Committee and I am grateful for her and Commissioner Jim Phillips for their teamwork, communication and commitment throughout this process."
- "This is a great day for our student-athletes, the ACC, Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, and the state of North Carolina. Wake Forest has the fastest growing brand of the college athletics Power conferences and the addition of these tremendous and highly competitive athletic and academic universities further enhances the national exposure for our student-athletes and University. Having known and worked with Cal AD Jim Knowlton, Stanford AD Bernard Muir, and SMU AD Rick Hart for more than a decade, I look forward to further expanding our relationships with these universities who share our commitment to academic success and student-athlete excellence.
- Head Football Coach Dave Clawson
- "The additions of Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley and Southern Methodist University bring stability to our conference and will strengthen the league as we move forward. While these schools are out of the traditional ACC footprint, these programs all have historic success and will bring a new element to our league. I am grateful for the continued leadership of President Susan Wente, AD John Currie and ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips during this time of conference instability in college athletics."
- Wake Forest Student-Athlete Advisory Council President & Redshirt Sophomore Placekicker Matthew Dennis
- "Amongst my fellow athletes on our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, we often discuss the reasons we came to Wake Forest to further our education and compete at the highest level. Today's announcement about the Atlantic Coast Conference expanding is further evidence that our goal is to compete at the highest level and I appreciated AD John Currie meeting with us last week to discuss this potential move and what it will mean for us as athletes. I look forward to continuing these conversations as we move forward to ensure that the player wellbeing of all student-athletes is at forefront of college athletics following the impact of these decisions. "
- Two-Time ACC Women's Golfer of the Year Rachel Kuehn
- "We're already competing against Stanford, SMU and Cal in the NCAA Championships. To add them to the ACC will make our conference even more of a powerhouse. Our conference championship is already a battle, but continuing to compete against the best of the best every year makes makes me really excited for the future of Wake Forest, the ACC and college golf in general."
- Wake Forest Junior Wide Receiver Ke'Shawn Williams
- "I came to Wake Forest to compete, win championships and earn a degree from one of the top schools in the country. This news about the ACC expanding is good for our league and I look forward to an exciting season this fall with my teammates and coaches."
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 71st year of competition and 15 members strong, has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. ACC members Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest continue to build upon the cornerstones on which the league was founded in 1953 with a consistent balance of academics, athletics and integrity. The ACC currently sponsors 28 NCAA sports – 15 for women and 13 for men – with member institutions located in 10 states. In August 2019, ESPN and the ACC partnered to launch ACC Network (ACCN), a 24/7 national network dedicated to ACC sports and league-wide original programming. For more information, visit theACC.com and follow @accsports on Instagram and @theACC on Twitter and on Facebook (facebook.com/theACC).
About the Stanford University
Stanford University, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a place of discovery, creativity, and innovation that is recognized internationally for excellence in teaching, research, and medical care. Stanford's campus is home to seven schools, a distinguished faculty that includes 20 living Nobel laureates, and more than 7,700 undergraduates and 9,500 graduate students. Stanford's Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation leads the nation with 134 NCAA team championships, has won the Women's Capital One Cup four of the last six years, and has achieved the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup for 26 of the 29 possible seasons. Nearly 900 Cardinal student-athletes compete as members of 36 intercollegiate athletics teams.
About the University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley, is consistently rated the world's top public university. The flagship of the 10-campus University of California system, it was chartered in 1868 with a mission to excel in teaching, research and public service. Enrolling more than 42,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the campus has more than 1,500 full-time and 500 part-time faculty members in more than 130 academic departments that offer more than 350 degree programs. The faculty's outstanding research achievements and scholarship so far have led to 26 Nobel Prizes, and an additional 35 Nobel Prizes have been won by alumni.
Cal Athletics is a broad-based NCAA Division I athletic department that sponsors 30 varsity sports and includes over 900 student-athletes. The department has approximately 300 staff members. Cal Athletics has produced 103 team national championships and 223 Olympic medals. Notable alums include Aaron Rodgers, Jason Kidd, Natalie Coughlin, Marshawn Lynch, Jaylen Brown, Layshia Clarendon and more.
About the Southern Methodist University
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU's alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.
In the classroom and on the field, SMU Athletics is driving excellence and growth to be among the best athletics programs in the country. SMU brings the highest level of collegiate competition to Dallas, which was recently named the No. 1 city for sports business by the Sports Business Journal, and continues to build on recent success, with all 17 programs reaching the postseason and 15 programs winning conference championships since 2013. SMU is the only NCAA FBS program in Dallas, and has claimed nine overall national championships, almost 200 team conference championships, over 100 individual national championships, more than 150 NCAA top-10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and over 150 Olympic appearances. Since 2013, SMU has invested over $250 million to develop and enhance championship-caliber facilities.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and Power 5 athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 56 conference titles and are one of only seven ACC schools to win 10 or more national championships, along with Notre Dame, North Carolina, Virginia, Duke, Syracuse and Florida State. Additionally, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad market, which includes 1.3M residents and was ranked as ESPN's seventh-best market from a viewership perspective.
Wake Forest has been the fastest growing and hottest brand in the Power 5 (and the ACC) since Aug, 1, 2019, with a 115 percent growth in our fanbase during this span. There are 2.7 million people identifying as Wake Forest fans, which ranks ninth in the league and ahead of Virginia Tech and just trailing NC State.
Academically, Wake Forest University is ranked in the Top 30 nationally by US News and World Report for the past 27 years (and counting) and ranked 21st nationally in Undergraduate Teaching according to the 2022-23 US News and World Report. Wake Forest's comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded college and graduate school of arts and sciences, school of medicine, business school, law school, divinity school and an innovative new school of professional studies. Additionally, Wake Forest holds campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Washington, DC – providing academic opportunity across the southeast.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
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